The Essence: “Silver and Gold, have I none…”

Here is the Essence of "Merry Christmas".....1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said,"Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Acts 3:1-10 (emphasis mine) 

     This passage speaks so much about how we have come to look at Christmas, and what the true meaning actually is. We have come to see it as all about silver and gold. Madly dashing. Hustling and bustling….And commercials that you are so sick of you want to pull and “Elvis” and shoot out the screen, so it is a very good thing you do not own an actual handgun. Thinking pitiful thoughts like: how? How can I cover everybody I need to cover on what I can afford??? How will they know I love them? How will they know I care?...silver and gold I do not have...
     The absurdity of it must make Jesus weep. Did I fall for it myself this year? Of course I did. I tried not to, but I still did it a little bit. But; I remember clearly standing in an aisle in Target one year with only a certain amount of money in my purse and a long list. I remember crying right there in the aisle. I felt hopeless. Hopeless! How absurd is that??? I have all of the gifts, blessings and riches of my Father’s house at my disposal. I can share the same grace and blessings and power of Christ that Peter and John shared in the scriptures above. The retailers, the jewelers, the car companies, the new-fangled high-tech gadget makers, the marketers; they would all have us believe that they supply the wonder. But there is NO competition. “They were filled with wonder and amazement.”(verse 10)….. Hey Madison Avenue, try topping that!
    “Silver and gold I do not have.” But I give you love. And I share with you that the one whose birth we are (supposed to be) celebrating is real. He changes lives. He heals and restores. He loves you. Oh, how He loves you. THAT is the gift. That is the gift He brought to us. We worship Him as the Christ Child in this season, but please remember who He grew up to be and who He is. You don’t know? Are you unsure? Read His word and find out (start with the gospels) who is He really…..
   Well…I want to leave you with one more present. Jesus made the most radical statement in all of history (lots and lots of people ignore it if they can) He said:” I am the Way the Truth and the Life, and NO ONE comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (all emphasis mine)
     So when we read this we can know that He is not just “a good man” or “a good teacher” as so many claim. Because that is NOT what He claimed. These are the most powerful words ever spoken. So, He is either; mad, a liar, or He is telling the truth. You must decide. Who did the Christ Child become? If He was either mad, or a liar why are you celebrating Him? If He is the Way, the Truth and the Life…then I am extending the greatest gift He gave…… to you! It doesn’t have a bow, but it has bliss, it doesn’t cost me or you a thing, but it cost Him everything. It doesn’t sit under a sparkly tree, but He shed his blood to take our punishment on a tree. It doesn’t have a return receipt. His gift is for all of eternity; you can rest in it, rely upon it and draw peace from it. It has thousands of uses, and it even comes with a beautifully bound handbook that the God of the Universe wrote… (66 books over 1500 years, over 40 authors, *** from many walks of life (i.e. - kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars)IN different places (i.e. - wilderness, dungeon, palaces)AT different times (i.e. - war, peace)IN different moods (i.e. - heights of joy, depths of despair)ON three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe)IN three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek)***  Each book dovetailing with the next. Each book inspired and God breathed so that they flow together to tell the story of eternity, and your place in it.)How handy is that? Want to know more? Ask Jesus Christ to reveal Himself to you, talk to a Christian friend or email me, I would love to talk to you. OR be all kinds of BOLD and ask Him to forgive your sins and be your Savior right now! Talk about a NEW YEAR!
Merry Christmas!!!
Tonya Willman ©2010
Check out some of these great facts at:
***http://www.allaboutgod.com/
      http://www.christiananswers.net/
      http://www.wayofthemaster.com/